Airplane powder-dusting apparatus



Feb. 26, 1929.

E. JOHNSON AIRPLANE POWDER DUSTING APPARATUS" Filed Jan. 9, 1926 Eblwz zlbhms'bm a it. Q W M Feb. '26, 1929.

E. JOHNSON AIRPLANE POWDER DUSTING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 9, 1926 5 Shgets-Shei 2 Feb. 26, 1929.

E. JOHNSON AIRPLANE POWDER DUST ING APPARATUS gmmto'o Ebnel' diuwon Patented Feb. 26, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELMER JOHNSON, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA,DEDICATED, BY ASSIGN- MENTS, TO THE GOVERNMENT AND THE PEOPLE OF THEUNITED STATES. I

AIRPLANE POWDER-DUSTINGAPPARATUS.

Application filed January 9, 1926. Serial No. 80,337.

(GRANTED UNDER THE ACT or MARCH 3, 1883, AS gunman APRIL so, 1925; 910 o. G. 757.

This application is made under the act of March 3, 1883, chapter 143 (22 Stat. 625) and the invention herein described and claimed may be used by the Government of the United States or any of its officers and employees in the prosecution of work for the Government or by any other person in the United States without payment to me of any royalty thereon.

The principal object of thisinvention is to provide pneumatically operated powder dusting equpiment for dusting by airplane uniformly and at any desired rate. Another object is to make use of theair current produced by the forward speedof the airplane'and the airplanepropeller to actuate means for agitating the powder in the hopper and to facilitate the discharge of powder from the hopper. .A furtherobject is' to make useof the 'exhaustylfromithe airplane engine so as to give uimpuljs'eftoland assist f in the pneumatic ejection, breaking up of lumps and pellets of the powder and the scattering of powder fromthe hopper. For the better understanding of this invention the accompanying drawings have been provided, in Which Fig. 1 is a" side elevation of a practical embodiment, apart of the airplane being shown;

Fig. 2 is 'a of the apparatus illustrated in Fig. 1;

F 'g. 3 is a side elevation a modification" of the invention with eertain parts brokenaway;v I Fig. .tis a view taken'along the, line 4+4 ofFig.3;

Fig. 5 is a plan illustrated in Fig.3, p I

Fig. 6 isa side elevation showing a modi fication of the hopper valve andpthe venturi or air scoopy f I Fig. 7 isa plan view -,of tl egiapparatus illustrated in Fig. 6; 3 f h 5 Referring specifically to these;- figures', it is seen that the numeral 1 designates the fuselage ofv an airplane which supports the powder dusting apparatus comprising a powder container or dusting hopper 2 view of equipped with a cover 2 and an exit open ing in the bottom provided with valve 6, means for operating said valve, 3118.11 scoop the apparatus or Yenturi' tube 4 agitating means in the dusting hopper, mechanism including a propeller for imparting motion thereto adapted to actuate said agitating means, and a ipe for carrying exhaust gases and heat rom the airplane engine "to jthe Venturi tube. The upper 1 and lower longrons 1 of the fuselage 1 support the hopper 2, which is secured to said longrons in any suitable the forward speed of the .airplane and the airplane propeller, a throat 4 connecting with and adapted to receive powder as it is discharged from the exit opening 6 in the bottomof the hopper and a discharge opening 4* which serves as a distributor for the powdered material as it is fed from the hopper. This discharge opening 4 may be straight as shown in Fig. 6 or flared as shown in Figs. 1 and 3 and the flare is adjustable and capable of being widened or deepened at its lower end as shown in Fig.

3.to govern the direction of-the flow of the cloud of dust as it issues from the venturi.

,l The air current that passes through the interior of the venturi has the function of providing suction adapted to facilitate the withdrawal of powder from the discharge opening in the bottom of the hopper, as well as to break up the powder. The hopper is provided with a valve 6 shown partly'open, which operates in suitable guides 6" and regulates the size of the opening inthe bottom of the hopper. The position of this valve is {regulated through rocking lever 7 at the topof which is afiixed handle'8 for rocking said, lever from the pilots cockpit 8*. The hopper may be either between the wing structures 3 and 3 of the airplane or elsewhere and in front of or behind the Ill cockpit as best located to balance the load in the airplane and maintain the proper equilibrium.

A set of swinging levers 9 inside and operating close to the sloping wall 2 of the hopper, which wall 2 is inclined toward the exit opening of the hopper, are rigidly fastened to and hinged by pins 10 to a set of rocking levers 11, outside the wall 2*, said levers 11 connected to reduction gears 14 by bar 12 to give each bar of the swinging levers 11 the same throw, bar 12 being adjustable upwardly and downwardly on levers 11 to control the length of throw of the tips of levers 9. A connecting rod 13 joined to bar 12 by ball joint 12 is driven by reduction'gears 14 through shaft 15 on which is propeller 16 located in a suitable place and manner to rotate when the air-l; plane is in flight. This propeller is rotated by the current of air produced by theimovement of the airplane propeller and the forward movement of the airplane. Brackets 17 and 18 carry suitable bearings (not shown) and act as supports for shafts 15. Reduction earing 14 is supported by means of suitable brackets 14: fastened to the fuselage l.

Connected to and having an outlet into the mouth or sides of venturi 4 are tubes 19, an extension of the manifold 20 of the airplane motor. These tubes carry exhaust gases and heat from the exhaust manifold of the airplane engine to the interior of the venturi and serve not only to increase the velocity of the air passing through the venturi but also convey heat to the powder that is withdrawn from the hopper, thereby aiding in the breaking up of pellets or lumps of the powder and resulting in the distribution of a more uniform finely divided mass or cloud of powder. A rocking valve 21, as shown in Figure 6, may be used in the place of slide valve 6 shown in Figures 1 and 3. This rocking valve is shown partly open and is hinged to the venturi 4 by means of shaft 22 allowing the valve to swing through the desired are. The position of valve 21 is regulated by lever 23 which is rigidly secured at the lower end by bolt 22 connecting bar 24 and rocking lever 7 at the-top of which is affixed handle 26 for rocking lever 7. As will be noted the handle of the valve control levers is located adjacent to the pilots cockpit in the fuselage.

The venturi 4 may be secured to the hopper by any suitable means preferably by a detachable joint 28. Immediately behind the air scoop or venturi, as shown in Figures 6 and 7, which is shortened by having its flared distributing end 4* removed and overlapping the rear end of said air scoop, is an additional enlarged extension 29 of the venturi flared on its sides 31 and bottom 30 at the front end of the extension where it connects with the venturi. This extension serves to provide an additional current of air to the stream of powder as it passes along the venturi and also discharges the powder toward the rear of the fuselage in such a manner as, to prevent the cloud of powder that is formed as it is discharged from the venturi from enveloping the fuselage and interfering with or inconveniencing the pilot and to prevent interference with the proper functioning of the operating parts bf the airplane and the dusting apparatus. This extension is suitably secured to the lower longrons of the airplane preferably by means of clamps 32.

WVhile several modifications of the invention have been described above and shown in the drawings, it is to be understood that the embodiments given are merely illustrative of the invention and that within the broad scope of the invention and as defined in the appended claims are included other specific embodiments of the apparatus. It is to be further understood that the relative location in the airplane of the several parts of the dusting apparatus may be changed in any desired particular so long as the proper stability and equilibrum of the airplane are not interfered with.

Furthermore, I do not limit myself to the specific means described and shown of agitating the powder in the hopper, or the valve control means for the hopper, or the utilization of the exhaust from the airplane engine, which exhaust may be discharged directly into the mouth or elsewhere of the air scoop or venturi instead of the side as shown in the drawings and described above.

Furthermore, an alternative method of a gitating the powder in the hopper and of pneumatically ejecting the powder from the bottom of the hopper, in addition to or in combination with the pneumatic means afforded for this purpose by the air current passing through the venturi, may be accomplished by air scoops 33 located above the longrons on each side of and connecting with the interior of the hopper. Apparatus of this nature is described in Patent No. 1,459,955 issued to me June 26, 1923.

Furthermore, the valve control means of the hopper may be positioned inside the pi lots cockpit and the fuselage instead of outside as shown and described above. It is obvious that in either position of the valve control means, the valve of the hopper maybe opened and closed at will while the air plane is in flight.

I claim:

1. In an airplane, a dusting hopper, means to pneumatically ejec't and scattermaterial from the hopper, means to agitate the material in the ho per and a propeller adapted to actuate sal agitating means.

2. In an airplane, a dusting hopper having an exit opening therein, means to pneumatically scatter material after it passes from said hopper through said exit opening, and means operated by a propeller for causing the agitation of said material in the hopper.

3. In an airplane, a dusting hopper having an exit opening therein, means to pneumatically scatter material after it passes from said hopper through said exit opening, and means 0 erated by a propeller located outside of t e hopper for causing the agitation of said material in the hopper.

4. In an airplane, a dusting hopper having an exit opening therein, means for opening and closin said exlit while the airplane is in flight, a propeller for driving said airplane and for scattering material passing from said exit, and a second propeller for operating means to cause the agitation of the material in the hopper. I

5. In an airplane, a propeller therefor, a dusting hopper having an exit opening therein and having one of its walls inclined, a valve for opening and closing said exit and operable while the airplane is in flight, means ..under said hopper for conveying a blast of air to scatter the material passing from said hopper, said means being in line with the propeller, and means for causing the agitation of the material in the hopper.

6. In an airplane dusting apparatus, a dusting hopper, means to pneumatically eject and scatter material from said hopper, means to facilitate the removal of the material from said hopper and a propeller adapted to actuate said facilitating means.

7 In a means for distributing substances into the atmosphere, the combination with an aircraft, a receptacle carried thereby and means for removing a substance in said container by suction and discharging it into the atmosphere, said means comprising a Venturi tube with the receptacle opening into the throat of said tube.

8. A distributor for distributing substances from an aircraft, comprising in combination with the aircraft, a hopper mounted thereon, a distributor carried by said aircraft adjacent said hopper to receive the substances from the hopper and distribute them to the atmosphere, an air driven fan on said aircraft, and means operated therefrom for agitating the substances contained in said hopper to loosen the same.

9. In a dusting apparatus, a fuselage, a hopper in front of the pilot, extending from the top of the fuselage to the bottom and adapted to permit the ejection of the contents of the hopper at the bottom thereof in front of the pilot and means to withdraw material from the hopper pneumati- Callfv.

10. In combination in an airplane, of a wing structure, a fuselage, a hopper located adjacent the wing structures, means of scattering the material the width of the fuselage and hopper consisting of passageways to convey air adjacent the hopper opening, and means to control the hopper opening from a point adjacent the pilots cockpit in the fuselage, and a pilots cockpit, said pilots cockpit being located so that the pilot is back of the wing structure, but can see beneath the wing structureand over the fuselage.

11. In an airplane to be used for dusting purposes, consistin of a fuselage, upper and lower wing sur aces, an engine forward of said surfaces, a hopper in the fuselage between the surfaces and a pilots cockit to the rear of said surfaces, an entrance opening to the hopper to the rear of the wing surfaces at the top of the fuselage and an exit opening in the hopper adjacent the rear of the wing surfaces and below the fuselage.

12. In an airplane, a dusting hopper in front of the pilot and extending from near the top of the-fuselage to near the bottom thereof, and means for pneumatically scattering material passing from said hopper.

13. In an airplane, a dusting hopper located in front of the pilot, and a Venturi tube for said hopper from which the material passing from said hopper is pneumatically scattered, said Venturi tube being parallel and adjacent to the bottom of the.

fuselage.

14. In an airplane, a dusting hopper located in front of the pilot, and a Venturi will not affect the equilibrium of the airplane, and means for scattering the material after it passes from said hopper.

16. In an airplane, a dusting hopper located in front of the pilot and extending to a point near the bottom of the fuselage, and a Venturi tube below the hopper and adapted to receive material from said hopper, said Venturi tube having an opening at one end thereof in front of the pilot for the reception of air and having another opening in the other end thereof from which the material passing from the hop peer into the Venturi tube is ejected and scattered by the air passing tln-rethrough.

17. In an airplane dusting apparatus, a dusting hopper, means to pneumatically eject and scatter material from the hopper,

'means within the hopper to agitate said material and a propeller adapted to actuate said agitating means.

ELMER JOHNSON. 

